Pune: Transgender Security Guards in PMC Await Salaries for Three Months; Contractor Served Legal Notice
Pune, 19th July 2025: In a concerning development, it has come to light that 13 transgender security guards working under contract for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have not received their salaries for the past three months. Employed through a private contractor, these guards are now facing severe financial hardship. The PMC’s Security Department has issued a notice to the concerned contractor, Eagle Security Services, for non-payment of dues.
The guards were deployed at various key PMC facilities, including the main building, Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park (Katraj), Thosar Paga crematorium, and Kamla Nehru Hospital, as part of an initiative to integrate the transgender community into the mainstream workforce. The PMC had earlier decided to hire 50 transgender individuals as security personnel, of which 25 were appointed in the first phase through Eagle Security Services.
While these guards have been performing their duties regularly and contributing meaningfully to the security system, their salaries were withheld by the contractor. Eagle Security Services reportedly cited technical issues related to changes in the company’s name to justify the delay in payments.
With the contractor’s term now concluded and a new agency appointed, there is uncertainty among the transgender employees over whether their pending wages will ever be cleared. This has raised serious concerns about the accountability of contractors engaged by government bodies and the vulnerability of marginalized employees under outsourced service models.
Amid the financial crisis, colleagues from the PMC’s security department pooled together a relief fund of ₹40,000, which was distributed among the affected 13 guards to help cover basic needs like rent, medicines, and essential expenses. According to officials, the contribution was a gesture of solidarity to support their transgender coworkers during distress.
PMC Takes Action Against Contractor
PMC Security Officer Rakesh Vitkar confirmed that a formal notice has been issued to Eagle Security Services for not disbursing the salaries. He also stated that the company would not be paid its outstanding bill of ₹4.5 crore until it settles all pending dues, including salaries, PF (Provident Fund), and ESI (Employees’ State Insurance) contributions of the guards and other contractual staff.
“Unless the company clears all payments — including withheld wages, ESI, PF, and other mandatory deductions — its final bill of ₹4.5 crore will not be released,” Vitkar said.
